Dam construction.



G. J. BANGROPT.

DAM CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 12 1910.

Patented June 6, 1911.

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1 FTQQ GEORGE J. BANCEOFT, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

DAM CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1911.

Application filed July 12, 1910. Serial No. 571,562.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. BANCROFT, a citizen of the United States,residingin the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dam Constructions; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved construction of a dam, and consists of a skeleton of walls constructed of concrete or other suitable material by which is formed a number of cells or chambers which are filled with earth or other suitable material, thereby forming a solid mass of the dam. This dam is composed of a number of rows of cells or chambers in stepped arrangement, that is to say, the forward row of cells or chambers, or the row forming the front of the dam is the highest, and each succeeding row diminishes in height. These rows of cells or chambers extend entirely across the dam site, and may be arc-shaped with their bilge toward the flow of the stream, thereby adding strength to the dam, or the dam may be reversed with the stepped side toward the Water, or it may be straight.

The entire structure is reinforced throughout by metallic reinforcing bars, thus forming an exceedingly stable structure, capable of resisting great strain.

Having thus described my invention in brief, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing: Figure 1 is a top plan view of the dam. Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section looking down on the dam, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate an arc-shaped dam as a whole; 6, the rows of cells or chambers, all of which are arc-shaped and arranged with their bilge toward the fiow of the stream. These rows of. cells or chambers are constructed of concrete or other suitable material. Each cell or chamber is formed of transverse walls 7, and longitudinal arced walls 4, which taper upwardly from the base of the dam, thus forming the cells or chambers smaller at the bottom, as shown at 8, than at the top. These walls or partitions are provided with vertically arranged, reinforcing bars 9, and transversely arranged, reinforcing bars 10. The front row of cells or chambers of the dam is provided with a relatively thick, forward wall 11, against which the water rests. It is necessary that this wall 11 should be constructed in a more stable manner than the other walls in order that it may resist the constant wear to which it is subjected by the water. Hence, the forward wall is pro vided with a greater number of reinforcing rods than the other walls. Each of the cells or chambers 6 is filled with earth or other suitable material 12, which is packed tightly therein. After an amount of earth or other material has been placed in the cells or chambers and tightly tamped in, a covering or partition 13, formed of concrete or other suitable material is placed on top of the dirt, and another layer of earth is packed on top of the partition. This partition is not necessary and may be dispensed with entirely without in any way affecting the efficiency of the dam.

The entire structure is provided with obliquely arranged reinforcing bars 14, which extend from the forward portion of the dam through the rows of radial walls to the base of the dam.

The top of the transverse walls of the cells or chambers are sloped downwardly from the are or longitudinal wall of each row, as shown at 15, thus forming braces or reinforcements for the upper portions of the rear longitudinal walls of the cells.

From the foregoing it is readily understood, a dam constructed in accordance with the disclosure herein, is much more stable and capable of resisting greater force of the water, owing to the fact that the dam is constructed the strongest at the points where the greatest strain is subjected thereto. The force of the water against the dam is strongest at the bottom and diminishes toward the top, hence, it is necessary to have greater strength near the base thereof, while the same strength throughout would be useless and involve unnecessary labor and expense in construction.

While a specific construction is defined in the specification, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosure therein, and may be made or constructed in many forms Within the scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. A dam consisting of a number of rows of cells or chambers, the walls of which are thickest at the base of the dam and gradually decreasing in size toward the top, and a suitable filling contained Within the said cells or chambers to, form a solid mass of the dam, substantially as described.

2. A dam construction, consisting of cells or chambers smaller at the bottom than at the top and a suitable filling contained Within the cells or chambers to form a solid mass of the dam, substantially as described.

3. A dam construction, consisting of a number of chambers, the walls of which are formed of concrete and gradually increase in size toward the base of the dam, and a suitable filling for the said chambers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE J. BANCROFT.

Witnesses:

HoRTnNsn UHLRIOH, F. E. BOWEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

